Different (Part 2 of the Lantern Series)
by OMG MIKEY
Summary: Mikey's still recovering from Emma's tragic death. But when she somehow contacts him beyond the grave and gives him her mutation, they develop a psychic link, and Mikey figures out that The Shredder knows where the lair is. The turtles and Splinter have to move back to Japan to remain safe. Rated T for minor swear words and violence.
1. Chapter 1 - Changed

He stared at the wall.

 _She's gone. She's really gone._

He didn't feel anything anymore.

She was like a sister to him.

She was more than that.

 _My Emma's gone._

Mikey walked around the lair as if in a trance. He kept thinking about _her_. About how he could have saved her if he had just stayed at the lair.

"Hey, bro!" Raph yelled from behind him. Mikey turned around blankly.

"So, I was thinking," Raph continued, "Leo's figured out where a Krang lair is. How 'bout we bash in some heads?"

Mikey stared at him, "Sure."

* * *

"You ready to go in there?" Raph grinned, "I bet you are!"

"Yeah," Mikey muttered, "Whatever."

"Dude," Donnie put in, "You're starting to sound like Raph."

"Does it look like I care?"

"Come on, guys," Leo grinned, "Let's go get some Krang."

* * *

He ran to his room as soon as they got back to the lair, and slammed the door closed. He stared at his bed, memories of Emma…

 _I will never love someone like I loved her. Never._

Mikey sat on his bed and sighed.

 _What should I do? I should forget… I should forget everything._

His gaze landed on the set of keys to Emma's apartment.

 _No. I won't forget. Not ever. She's too important._

He smiled for the first time in what seemed like years as he laid down on his bed, engulfed in memories.

* * *

"Mikey," Someone whispered, "Mikey."

He opened his eyes and muttered something, sitting up.

"You're awake. Awesome."

He gasped at the figure he saw.

"E-Emma?" He stammered.

"Yep," She grinned, "Sorry 'bout the wait, but it took _forever_ for me to be able to contact you."

"You came." He felt a shimmer of the person he was before.

 _It's really her._

"Now, Mikey," She continued, "I… I want to give you something. A gift. For being someone that I've cared about more than others."

"Uh," He frowned, "Yeah?"

"I wanted to give you my mutation, and memories on how to control it. All of _my_ memories about controlling it."

"It'll be something to remember you by."

"Ok," She breathed deeply, "Here goes."

She poked him on the shoulder, and a barrage of memories flowed over him. He gasped and stumbled.

"I… thought you just said memories involving your mutation." He managed.

"I wanted to give you something more," She whispered, "So you could never forget. If I give you all my memories, we develop a special psychic link. We can talk to each other whenever we want."

"Hey, I'm just wondering," Mikey hesitated, "How did you even die?"  
She smiled, "My memories say it all."


	2. Chapter 2 - Memories

Mikey woke up, gasping.

 _Was that a dream? Or did she actually contact me?_

He frowned.

 _No. She actually contacted me. I have her memories._

"That's right." Someone whispered.

He looked up and saw Emma across his room, "Emma?"

"I'm here. I can't be seen by your brothers, though. They might think you're insane. I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine," He smiled, "They can think I'm insane for all I care."

"You remember what I gave you, right?"

"And how you wouldn't tell me how you died?"

"Yeah, that. I wanted to show you how I died. Through memories."  
"Aha, I see. Sure, go ahead."

Emma walked over to Mikey and as soon as her hand touched his, he was engulfed in a memory.

* * *

 _Emma was walking back to the lair. She though she heard something. She looked around, startled. But she could see nothing._

 _Before she went into the sewers, she took a quick look around._

 _She didn't see anyone, so she slipped into the sewers._

 _But Emma didn't know that there was someone following her._

 _It was The Shredder._

* * *

Mikey's eyes widened, "Oh, god! He knows where our lair is!"

Emma nodded sadly, "You, your brothers, and Splinter all have to move. He could come at any moment. I'm sorry."

"I have to tell the others!"

He ran out of his room, yelling for everyone to wake up. Almost immediately they were all out of their rooms.

"My son, what's wrong?" Splinter asked, frowning.

"I just talked to Emma!" Mikey yelled, "I know it sounds crazy, but she gave me her memories and mutation! And The Shredder followed her to our hideout before she died! We have to leave! Now!"

Leo frowned, "Mikey, are you sure?"

"I believe Michelangelo is right," Splinter put in, "He is not lying. I sense Emma's presence."  
"So… we have to leave?"

"We must."  
"I'll go pack, then."

"Yes, all of you should start packing." Splinter turned around and walked into his room.

Mikey's brothers rushed into their rooms. He did the same.

 _Goodbye, sewers of New York._

He grabbed a bag and packed all of his action figures.

 _I'm glad I only brought the necessities when I ran away._

He then ran to the freezer and put Ice-Cream Kitty into her box. She meowed.

"Ice-Cream Kitty, we're moving!" He grinned and closed the lid of her box. He picked it up, along with his bag, and ran out of the kitchen. His brothers and sensei were already ready.

"Follow me, my sons," Splinter said, "I know where we can live in peace."


	3. Chapter 3 - Japan

_9 Years Later (2022)_

* * *

"Guys!" Mikey yelled, "I got it!"

His brothers looked up from the things they were doing.

"You got the NerveGear?" Donnie exclaimed.

"Since I got it, I'll try it out first!" Mikey grinned, "Sorry, bros!"

"No problem," Leo smiled, "Just get off after an hour."

"Yeah, sure." Mikey jumped onto the couch, put the NerveGear on, and yelled, "Link start!"

The world faded away into bright flashes of light, and a login screen appeared in front of him. He typed in the login he had committed to memory.

"Welcome to Sword Art Online," Someone chimed, and suddenly he was in a village. Mikey looked around, grinning.

 _This is gonna be awesome! I look like a human, too! Sweet!_

His grin widened, and he walked forward to explore the place.

* * *

He sighed.

 _Ah, it's been an hour. It was so fun, though!  
_ He swiped with his hand and opened the menu.

 _Hang on. Where's the logout button?_

Mikey frowned, and looked at the few people walking past him.

"Hey," He asked one of them, "Where's the logout button?"

"It should be there," They pointed, and frowned, "Hang on. It's not there."

They swiped with their hand and checked their menu. Mikey peeked over their shoulder. It wasn't there.

"Uh," They frowned, "I dunno. I can't find it, either. That's _weird_."

"I know," He agreed, "I need to get off, anyway. I'm sharing this one headset with my brothers, so I had one hour."

"Sorry, I have no idea what's going on. It should be there."

"Ah, no problem. I'm sure it's just a bug or something."

Mikey walked off, and allowed himself to panic a little bit.

 _Why isn't it there? It should be there! It's supposed to be there!  
_ He shook his head and wandered forward.

* * *

 _Why did we all get teleported here?_

He looked over the heads of the other people, frowning.

All of a sudden the sky was filled with flashing warning signs in red. He yelped at the sight of them.

Red stuff started oozing out of the cracks between the warning signs, forming a giant person. Mikey gasped.

"Who… who is that?" He managed.

"No idea." Someone replied.

It just happened to be that time when a memory took over.

* * *

 _Emma saw him before he cut her._

 _Sharp blades were strewn all across his clothing, his eyes hidden beneath a mask._

 _The Shredder._

 _He raced across the room, and before she knew it, the blade was in her arm. She gasped at the pain._

 _"_ _Tell me where Splinter is," He hissed, "Or else."_

 _"_ _Never." She whispered back._

 _"_ _Fine." He grabbed her, slammed her into a wall, and took her clothes off._

* * *

Mikey's eyes widened at the memory.

 _Shredder… raped Emma?_

He looked up at the giant man, who was still speaking, but he couldn't hear him over his shock.

 _He… he…_

A small growl of fury made its way out of his mouth, startling the players around him.

 _He did not!_

Mikey's limbs were trembling. His teeth were clenched.

 _No._

He fell to his hands and knees.

That was when the players around him started changing. He stood up, frowning.

 _What's up with them?_

He yelped as his own body was consumed in light. When it disappeared, he was no longer a human.

He was a turtle. A freak. Like usual.

People noticed almost immediately what he looked like. They stared at him, like he was a monster. They yelled and screamed and tried to get away from him. But all he did was stare back at them, sadness in his eyes.

 _Humans will never understand me. Not now, not ever. I'll always be a freak. In this game, anyway. I can't shape-shift in here._

There was one person, though, that stared at him almost sympathetically. They walked up to him and frowned.

"What are you?" They asked, "You're like… a turtle."

Mikey looked down, "I… yeah, I am."

"I'm Kirito." Kirito smiled.

"Mikey." Mikey frowned, "What did that guy say?"

"Oh, that we can't log out of the game and if we die in the game we die in real life, and we die if the NerveGear is removed."

He froze, "What? But… my brothers!"

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

"They'll be so worried, though."

"Just be glad that you're the one going through this, not them."

 _He's right. They'll be worried sick, but at least they'll be out of danger._

He glanced at Kirito.

 _I hope they won't worry._


	4. Chapter 4 - Worried

_Raph was worried more than anything. His little brother… his happiness… has been unconscious for almost two years._

 _He looked at Mikey's asleep form, attached to multiple IV bags._

 _I'm glad he's not dead. Not yet._

 _He looked down at his brother._

 _We would have though he was fine._

 _Raph looked at the floor._

 _But he's not._

 _He smiled sadly at Mikey, "Well, today was the usual. I… I stayed here. Hoping you wouldn't die and hoping you would wake up."_

 _He continued talking to Mikey as if he was his new Spike._

 _"_ _Raph?" Someone whispered._

 _Raph's eyes flickered open as he looked for the source of the voice. His eyes landed on Mikey, and his heart leaped with joy._

 _Mikey's awake. Mikey's awake!_

 _He laughed and hugged Mikey, "Little bro! You're awake!" His tears fell onto Mikey's skin._

 _"_ _Hey," Mikey said weakly, "I'm awake. Yay."_

 _"_ _Guys!" Raph choked out, "Mikey's awake! He's awake!"_

 _His brother was there in an instant, grinning._

 _"_ _Where's Donnie?" Mikey choked out._

 _Raph's heart plummeted._

 _He shouldn't have said that. Forced myself to forget what he did to himself…_

 _"_ _He's… not well," Leo concluded, "A few months back, the stress of you being in a life or death situation became too much for him. He got PTSD."_

 _"_ _Didn't we all get it?" Raph frowned._

 _"_ _Donnie was the worst. He wouldn't eat anything, he would just lay in bed, talking to himself."_

 _"_ _Is he fine now?"_

 _"_ _He's asleep. I didn't want to wake him."_

 _The sound of someone talking reached Raph's ears. He immediately ran to Donnie's room, without bothering to knock. He never did, anyway._

 _Donnie looked at him, but said nothing._

 _"_ _Hey, Don," Raph grinned, "Awake, huh? About time. Leo didn't want to wake you up."_

 _There was confusion in Donnie's eyes._

 _"_ _Bet you're wondering why Leo wanted you awake before. Well, guess what? Mikey's awake!"_

 _Donnie's eyes widened._

 _"_ _Mikey's…" He coughed, "Awake?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, come on," Raph smiled and patted Donnie's shoulder encouragingly, "He's talking, too. Come on, you seriously need to talk to him."_

 _Donnie stood up, rubbing his recently cut wrists. He followed Raph into Mikey's room. Donnie smiled as soon as he saw Mikey awake._

 _I knew that would do him some good._

 _"_ _Oh, thank god you're alright," Donnie whispered, hugging Mikey._

 _Mikey smiled back at him, "Why wouldn't I be?"_

 _"_ _Your brain could have been fried," Don looked at the ground, "I'm sorry. I should have checked the headset."_

 _"_ _No, it's fine!" Mikey chirped, "I'm all fine, see?"_

 _Raph smiled at him, "Yes, you are, Mikey."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I survived the game and everything! Go me!"_

* * *

Raph jerked out of the dream with a gasp. His skin was slick with sweat.

 _What is with those dreams I've being having lately? In some of them, Mikey dies. Some of them, he's alive. Some of them… he's changed. In the one I just had… Donnie had… PTSD?_

He shook his head and walked into Donnie's lab to check on Mikey.

* * *

 _He's still alive. Thank God._

Raph looked at Mikey, unconscious and attached to multiple IV bags.

 _Wonder what he's doing in that game of his. Probably staying alive._

A single tear made its' way down his cheek.

 _Stay safe, little bro. It's going to be all right._

As he started telling Mikey about his day like he usually does, his mind wandered.

 _He has to be all right. He_ has _to._

He stopped speaking briefly to get his thoughts together.

 _He will be. He will be all right._

Another tear tracked down his face as he continued talking.


	5. Chapter 5 - In The Game

_Two Weeks Later_

* * *

Mikey breathed in the cool air as he gazed across the meadow and towards the lowering sun.

 _How long has it been since the game started? A year? A day? An hour? Time's, like, endless in here!_

His gaze landed on the first monster that had spawned a few dozen meters away from him.

 _Yes, my first kill of the night!_

Mikey launched forwards, whirling about his custom made nun chucks.

"Booyakasha!" He screamed as the blade at the end of his 'chucks sliced through the monster, killing it.

He grinned and collected his XP and money from the kill.

 _Where's the next one?_

He heard running steps behind him, and he turned around, expecting to see another monster.

But, no. It was a player.

He got out of his defending stance, frowning.

 _What are they doing?  
_ The player drew their sword and charged right at Mikey. He realized what they were going to do.

 _Crap! They're trying to kill me!_

He dodged out of the way as their sword sliced through the air, where he had been seconds before.

 _That was close. Too close._

His eyes widened as the player lifted their head and looked at him, madness in their eyes.

 _Why do they want to kill me?_

He scrambled for his teleport crystal, sweating profusely.

Mikey's hand landed on the crystal just as the blade went through his chest.

He watched his HP get lower and lower. He gasped.

 _This is it. This is the end._

He accepted it. He did.

 _Unless…_

He swung his 'chucks, screaming. They sliced right through the player, and a smile played across their lips.

"It's not over." They whispered, right before their HP dropped to zero.

Mikey pulled out their sword, and realized what he had done.

"Oh, god," He whispered, "I… I just killed someone."

He fell on his knees, too shocked to do anything.

 _I… killed someone. Killed…_

His breathing quickened. His heart rate spiked. He saw a warning sign in front of him, but he ignored it.

 _I killed a player._

A sign flashed in front of his screen.

 _I'm an orange player. Orange. I'm supposed to be a green player!_

He barely noticed the footsteps coming towards him. He barely felt the blade slide into his arm.

 _I… killed._

He realized what was happening to him just in time. As his HP entered red, he swung his 'chucks.

There was a sickening thump behind him. He turned around, eyes wide.

They were smiling, but as their HP dropped lower and lower, the smile erased itself.

Mikey stood up with a gasp.

Their HP dropped to zero.

 _N-No… I just… killed… someone…_

"Hey!" He heard someone yell. He recognized the voice. It was Kirito.

Kirito ran up to Mikey.

"Your HP is so low! What happened?"

"I…" Mikey choked, unable to get the words out.

"Were there too much to handle?" Kirito's tone was thoughtful.

"Yeah," Mikey put on a fake smile, "Yeah, that."  
Kirito frowned, "You sound like you're lying."  
"No, I'm not."  
 _He can't know. He can't. What will he say? I killed people. Killed._

"Are you sure?" Kirito sounded considerate.

Mikey paused, "Yes."  
"Ok," Kirito smiled, "I'm meeting with my friends soon. Wanna join us?"

"Sure."

As Mikey followed Kirito, he indulged in his thoughts.

 _I killed. I killed people._

Mikey frowned, considering the options.

 _But I won't let anyone know that._


	6. Chapter 6 - Gone

_A Month Later_

* * *

Mikey bit into the sandwich he had made.

 _This tastes ok._

Nothing was ever nice since… that day. He forced himself to forget what happened, and just to call it… that day.

 _I guess it's good. Maybe it should have had more butter._

He sighed and tossed the sandwich into a nearby bin, no longer hungry.

 _I should meet up with Kirito. Maybe Klein and Asuna, too._

He acted like he usually did, to keep up appearances. They thought nothing was wrong… but inside… Mikey was gone. His self, the one that was always happy, was missing. Gone.

 _Ah, I'll just go XP grinding._

He walked out of town and into a familiar field. Memories burst through the thick wall which he had put so much effort into making.

 _That day… I killed… two…_

Mikey trembled at the memories that engulfed him. He started to cry.

He felt himself falling to the ground, but his mind had detached. He was elsewhere.

* * *

"Mikey," A soft voice whispered, "Mikey."

He looked up. He was no longer in the field. He was in a void, a field of black. The person that stood in front of him just made him cry harder.

"I'm sorry," He sobbed, "I… I didn't mean to kill them, Emma. I swear."

"I know you didn't," Her voice was soft and soothing, "You had to save yourself."

"I… know… but… I _killed_ them, Emma. I can't change that."  
"I know you can't. But you can accept it. Live with it, Mikey. It's already done. You can't change that. But you can change the way you feel about it."

 _She's right. I have to accept it to live with it. I have to try… for her, for my brothers, for Splinter, for Sophie… for Renet…_

"Now, you have to return to the game," She smiled at him, "You could be ambushed and killed in this state."

He saw the darkness fade away and the field returned. He stood up, no longer trembling.

 _I need to be strong. I need to push past this._

He started towards the town, no longer interested in getting more XP.

 _No matter the cost._


	7. Chapter 7 - Home

_A Year Later_

* * *

"The game has been cleared. Repeat: the game has been cleared."

Mikey frowned and stopped eating his sandwich.

 _No. It's a joke. The game isn't over. Last I checked, they were up to level 75… or something._

He stood up, along with the other players around him. That was when it happened.

The game he had gotten used to retreated. Blackness surrounded his vision.

* * *

All at once, the blackness disappeared. He blinked and turned his head slowly to look at the medical equipment he was hooked up to.

 _This is a dream. The game isn't over. I can only hope…_

He sat up slowly, scowling at the effort it took him.

 _Ugh, this is a pretty realistic dream. It's almost like…_

He shook his head, and started to get out of bed, fueled by memories of his brothers.

Mikey hobbled out of the room, using his IV stand to help himself stand.

"Guys," He whispered, "Guys, I'm here."

He heard distant murmuring. He followed the sound to Donnie's room.

Mikey pressed his ear slit against the door, trying hard to listen in.

"Dude," He heard Raph say, "You have to eat _something_. This is getting out of hand. You're practically killing yourself."

"I…" Mikey was shocked at how weak Donnie's voice was, "Don't want to live… without Mikey."

He had heard enough to know that they needed him _now_. He knocked on the door gently, not saying a word.

"Ugh, go away!" Raph yelled, "I'm talking to Donnie, Leo! Can't you tell?"

Mikey smiled, "I don't think Leo has my rad skills."

There was a shocked silence behind the door. Mikey opened the door, wondering why they were so quiet.

"Mikey?" Donnie whispered, "You're… here?"  
"Mikey," Raph scowled, but Mikey could see the tears that streamed down his face, "You better have a damn good reason for not being with us for the last two years."

"Mikey. You're back." A smile lit up Donnie's face.

"Ah, who am I kidding?" Raph grinned, "You're back! You're _back_!" He rushed up to Mikey and practically squashed him.

Donnie followed Raph, hugging Mikey gentler, but it was still painful.

 _It's happening. I'm out of that nightmare. I'm with my brothers… I can have pizza!  
_ Mikey gasped and shoved them off in a sudden burst of strength, "We need to celebrate! And, plus, I _need_ my pizza! I mean, I haven't had it for _two years_!"

Raph laughed, "Yeah, and we can watch some TV, too!"

Mikey grinned, "Yes! Yes, my dream has come true!"  
Raph smiled at Mikey, "I'll get the pizza." He glanced at Donnie before he left.

Mikey distantly heard him calling to Leo that he was awake.

"Hey, Don!" He grinned wider, "How's it going?"

"I'm going… well," Donnie smiled weakly, "I thought you were going to die."

"Well, I'm not dead. I'm here. Duh!"

Donnie hid his hands behind his back, which made Mikey suspicious.

"Dude, what's with the hands?" He asked, frowning, "That was kind of suspicious, you know."

Donnie looked guilty.

"Show me your hands, bro. What's wrong with them?"

 _Hope Don's alright._

Donnie slowly revealed his hands. What Mikey saw made him gasp.

"Dude!" He exclaimed, looking at the fresh cuts on Donnie's hands, "What the hell?"

Donnie hung his head, "I… I was so depressed about you being unconscious and you being in a life or death state… I… it just felt good. Almost as if… I wasn't hurting myself when I cut myself… it helped me deal with the stress, you know? It didn't hurt. Well, it did hurt. But it made the depression so much better… I kept doing it."

Mikey looked at his brother sympathetically, "You know that's not rational, Don. You, of all people, should know that."

"I… I know. But I've also been stressed about April."

He understood immediately, "Just call her, man. Get it over with."

"I don't want to do that. Now that we're a thing… I can't break up with the one person I've always loved. Never."

"Still, call her. It'll be nice for her to hear your voice."

"You think I haven't called her already?" Donnie sounded suddenly angry, "Like, a million times? Because I have! Every day I call her, and not once has she responded! _Not once_ , Mikey! Not _at all_!"

"Come on," Mikey smiled at Donnie, "Let's just relax for a bit and have pizza."

Donnie looked as if he hadn't heard what Mikey said for a moment, but then he nodded.

"Let's meet up with the guys and party!" Mikey grinned at Donnie.

And as they were walking towards the smell of pizza, he wondered if Donnie would ever be the same again.


	8. Chapter 8 - The Call

Sophie wondered about that turtle a lot.

She forgot almost everything about him.

He was one of the only people that understand her. He was her friend.

Sophie put her head on her hands, sighing.

 _School is so crap. Why can't it be over already?_

She looked at the clock briefly. Five minutes until she can go home.

 _Bored. I'm so bored._

Her phone rang, which made her jump. She looked guiltily at her teacher and classmates, mouthing a _sorry_.

She declined the call.

 _Who was that? All of the people that I know… they know I'm in school right now._

She froze up, eyes wide.

 _Unless…_

Sophie shook her head.

 _I'll find out in a few minutes._

* * *

The bell rang, signifying the end of school. She sighed in relief, hurrying out of class.

 _Time to call back whoever called me._

She brought out her phone. She didn't recognize the phone number.

 _Should I call back…?_

Sophie didn't allow herself to think about it too much. She pressed the _call_ button and waited while it rang.

" _Hey, Sophie!_ " Someone familiar buzzed from the other end. She gasped in delight.

"Turtle!" She exclaimed, ignoring the weird glances the people nearby were giving her.

" _Hah, you forgot my name. Oh, well, I'll just remind you, then! I'm Mikey!_ "

"How did you remember my name after so long?"

" _I remember things easily. That's a good thing about my ADHD!_ "

"You have ADHD?" She gasped, "Why didn't you tell me?"

" _Duh, it didn't come up!_ " Mikey laughed, " _Obviously!_ "

"Still, it's something you maybe should have mentioned." As she was talking, she started walking to the place where she had arranged to meet her friends at.

" _Yeah, I guess you're right._ " He sounded thoughtful, " _How are you, anyway? I kind of haven't called for, like, years…_ "

"I'm just glad that you remembered me and actually bothered to call," She laughed, "Anyway, wanna meet my friends?"

" _Sure!_ "

"Cool!" Sophie grinned, "Here they are now!"

"Hey!" Mark, her friend, yelled, "Who're you talking to? Don't leave us out!"

"Oh, right!" She apologized, putting the phone on speakerphone, "This is Mikey, a guy I met a few years ago."

"A guy?" Mark was suddenly interested, "He better not take you away from me!"  
Sophie laughed, "Doubt it. He's a mutant turtle!"

Another of her friends, Fiona, laughed, "Dude, that's not possible!"

"Oh, really? I'll turn on video camera! You'll see!"

"I believe you." Winston, yet another friend, smiled.

"Ok, here goes!" She turned the video camera on, then asked Mikey, "Hey, can you turn your video camera on?"

" _Hah, sure!_ " He grinned, and his video camera turned on, exposing his green, turtle-like self.

Her friends crowded around her, and they gasped at Mikey.

"But… that must be a costume!" Fiona exclaimed.

"No, it's not," Sophie grinned, "He was at a zoo and everything. He was, like, looked at by scientists and stuff."  
"That's a relief," Mark grinned, "He can't take you away from me!"

She smirked at him.

 _He really has a thing for me, doesn't he?_

"I've never seen something like him before," Winston sounded curious, "What _are_ you?"

" _Obviously a turtle,_ " Mikey gestured to himself, and pointed to his shell, " _Dude, can't you see the shell?_ "

Winston grinned, "This is awesome!"

"I don't believe this," Fiona muttered, doubt in her voice, "He can't be a turtle! It's just not possible!"

" _Did I mention that I can shape-shift?_ " He grinned and his shape began to change. Suddenly, he was a human, " _Cool, right? I can even change my age, too!_ " He was changing again, growing a little bit shorter. In almost an instant, he was the same human… but younger.

 _He looks pretty cute._

Sophie was all of a sudden very conscious of herself. She tucked her long brown hair behind her ear nervously.

 _Really cute. I hope I tried to make myself look nice this morning… probably not, though._

"Dude," Fiona grinned, "That was awesome! You look so cute, too!"

Mikey blushed, " _Thanks! I've never really been complimented in that way before… because of… well…"_ He turned back into a turtle. But for Sophie, all she could really see what the cute looking boy that had been there a few moments ago.

 _Agh, what am I thinking? I'm in love with a ninja turtle?_

She shook her head, suddenly embarrassed. Her face felt warm.

Mark frowned at her, "Sophie, why are you blushing so hard?"

"It… it's nothing," She stammered, "I… nothing."

"Oh, really?" Mark's eyes suddenly widened, "Woah! What? Are you… ugh! That's _sick_!"

Her face grew even more warm, which shouldn't have been possible, "Shut up!"

"What the hell, Sophie?" He exclaimed.

"I…" Sophie muttered, "I don't know, either." She then walked up to Mark and whispered, "Please don't tell him."

"Ugh, fine." He whispered back, "I won't."

" _Hey, Sophie?_ " Sophie heard Mikey ask.

She turned around, "What?"

" _I was thinking of coming to your school for a quick visit, if it's ok._ "

"Really?" She exclaimed, "That's great! But what about you being a turtle…?"

" _I'll just come as a human._ "

"Sure," Sophie replied, "When are you coming?"

" _Tomorrow, if it's ok,_ " He grinned, " _After school, we might be able to go to the shops._ "

"Sweet!" She grinned, "See you tomorrow, then!"

" _Awesome! Bye!_ "

Sophie hung up.

 _Damn, he's awesome._

She turned and looked at her friends in turn, grinning.

"You guys better remember what he looks like." Was all she said before turning around and leaving to go home.


End file.
